How I Met Your Father
by 23a
Summary: Everyone was celebrating Neal's coronation, and Emma and Hook's safe return from the past. Until Henry loudly asks a very important, if not well-timed, question. "How did you and dad meet?" Now, the whole diner is eagerly listening to Emma tell the story... and it is quite the story.
1. So how exactly did you meet?

Emma sighed. The time travel incident was over, Regina was mad at her... just a normal day. That is, until Henry broke the friendly chatter with an overly-loudly asked question. "Mom, so, Grandma and Grandpa are always talking about how they met... how did you and dad meet?"

Emma spit out a bit of her drink. She spun around to look at Henry, noticing all eyes on her.

"Henry, this is not the time. Maybe when you're older."

"Mom!"

"Actually, Emma", said Snow, "I'd like to hear this story."

"Me too", said Hook, beside her.

"Yeah", Tink put in.

Emma groaned. "Really, guys?"

They all agreed, and Emma finally said, "Fine! But I'm only telling it once, so listen up."

At that moment, Rumple and Belle walked in, having just gotten married, and Rumple asked, "What's all this about?"

Henry spoke up. "Mom's gonna tell us the story of how she met my dad!"

Rumple raised his eyebrows at Emma. "Are you now?"

"I really don't seem to have a choice, so yes."

"Well then. By all means, begin."

* * *

"Ok. So, I was 17, and I was walking down the street in Portland, Oregon. I had just recently escaped the foster system, and I had learned how to survive on my own. I found a yellow bug and I used my tools to start it."

"Emma, you stole a car?", Snow asked, shocked.

"Yes. Anyway, I started driving, when someone popped in from the backseat and said, "Impressive. But you could have just asked for the keys."

Snow chuckled. "Armed robbery."

Emma continued. "We were driving, and he said he wouldn't press charges if I let him take me for drinks. I said no because he could be a pervert, and he said that he may be a pervert, but I was definitely a car thief. I was distracted, and ran a red light. A cop stopped us, and Neal pretended I was his girlfriend and he was teaching me how to drive shift. The cop bought it, and let us go. I didn't understand why he saved me, until I realized that he didn't own the car either."

"_Bae _was stealing a car?", Rumple asked, confused.

"Yes."

"So, I'm guessing you went on that drink date?", asked Charming.

"Yes. He got us coffees, and then showed me how to pick a lock when he broke us into an amusement park that was closed for the night. We sat down on the Italian Trapeze and had a conversation."

"About what?", asked Hook.

Emma sighed, having hoped to not answer that part. "I asked him to tell me his story. He did, cryptically, which I now realize was because he was trying to avoid using the words Enchanted Forest, magic, or Dark One." She took a deep breath and continued. "He said that he left home because his father... changed." She glanced at Rumple, who had a pained expression on his face. "But that before that, it was home. And then he said that that's what home is. It's a place that when you leave, you just miss it. I'd never had a home, so all I had to go on was his word." She looked at her parents now, both wearing looks of such guilt that she wished she hadn't said it. She became acutely aware of everyone in the diner, and moved to quickly wrap up the story.

"We became partners, robbing convenience stores and living in the car, and occasionally abandoned hotel rooms. He stole my key-chain for me. One day, we found a dream-catcher in one of the rooms, and then Neal decided that we should settle down somewhere and live together. He held out a map, and told me to close my eyes and point, and I picked Tallahassee."

Regina looked at her, remembering that she had lived in Tallahassee for two years.

"But then Neal got busted for some watches he had stolen, and said he had to leave and go to Canada - alone. But I came up with an idea, that I would fetch the watches, he would sell them, and we would get fake IDs and go to Tallahassee. I did, but he apparanetly got stopped by August along the way to sell them... and he called the cops, and I got arrested. I found out I was pregnant, and I also got an envelope with the key-chain, including the keys to the Bug."

There was a long moment of silence, which Henry broke. "So... you met while stealing the same car?"

"Yep, kid, we did. That's some story to tell to your friends, isn't it?"

**Warning: If you have liked this story so far, and do not like the ship of Neal and Emma, stop reading here. This is the ending. Otherwise, read on!**

"So... you loved him, even though it wasn't true love?", asked Tink.

"It was", said Emma. "I know that now."

"When did that happen, Emma?", asked Snow.

"The minute he was lost to me."

"They are true love", said Belle. "The key-chain, which is not of the Enchanted Forest, made it back there. The only way that could happen is if it was born of true love."

"So... I'm the product of true love?", asked Henry.

"Yeah, kid, you are."

"Then I have magic!"

"I... suppose so."

Emma suddenly remembered the wand, the one that allowed her to open a time portal. She had an idea. "And true love is worth fighting for", she said, looking at her parents. "It can survive anything, even death. I... have a mistake to correct." She turned to look at Hook. "Oh and Killian... I'm sorry, we can't be together." She walked out of the diner, planning what she would do next - she was making another trip to the past.


	2. Into the Past

Emma snuck into Rumple's shop, looking for the wand. It had to be in there somewhere. She was about to try and use magic when she heard a key in the lock. She froze, thinking for a moment, and realized there was only one thing to do. She concentrated on her magic, and... she was outside. After Rumple and Belle entered the shop, she re-entered.

"Closed", he said.

"You'll want to hear this", Emma replied.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"I can bring back your son."

A look came over his face, one of hopefulness, but it was soon gone. "Oh yeah, how?", he asked sarcastically.

"Time travel."

"Really? You saw what Zelena had to do."

"Yeah, but, to get back, all I had to do was use a wand that can recreate magic. I can do it again."

The hopeful look came back again, but disappeared. "Messing with the past is a bad idea."

"There's a way that can avoid that."

"How?"

"We go right to the moment he died, and you can do a preservation spell on him like Regina did to Henry in Neverland. Then we bring him back with us and figure out a way to save him."

"That's... actually quite brilliant."

Emma smiled. "Thank you."

He went into the back and came back with the wand. "Alright", he said. "Let's go."


End file.
